What exactly does an intern for a company do?

What chances does an IIT cse undergraduate, with a CGPA close to 8.5, have in getting an intern/job in big tech company like google, microsoft? And what can be done to improve those chances?

• Imagine  a junior undergraduate with a CGPA very close to but less than 8.5 out of  10 in computer science department. He/she has set her aims on the technical sector. What should she/he do in third and fourth year to improve those chances?

• Answer:

  How important is CGPA I wont say that CGPA doesn't matter, but yes tech companies have come to realize that coding is not a skill that can be judged on your academic performance. A lot of big companies and almost all startups are very open minded and they know this. They generally resort to tests, interviews, hackathons, projects that you have undertaken and so on, to judge you instead of just CGPA. Also note the fact that any company that prioritizes your CGPA will most likely do it in extreme situations like time crunch or something. And CGPA will most likely be considered only to shortlist you for an interview, and not to directly offer the job/internship. So even if you are a "9.5 point someone", you might end up in a situation, where you aren't able to code a linked list in half an hour, possibly because of nervousness. Moral of the story: once you are in the interview CGPA is of no importance. A 7.5-er is same as a 9.5-er. And if you got what it needs, then you can stop worrying about the first few semesters that sunk your grades. What you can do to get to the interview Crack tests: 85% of CS based companies that come to IITB for internship take coding and/or aptitude tests. If you do a good job, no one will stop you just because you are a 7 pointer. The best thing you can do to practice and improve is to maybe join some programming sites (like Topcoder, HackerRank, Codechef) and keep practicing. You might also want to revise algorithms, basic DSA, etc. Resume: If the company doesn't take a test (which is very uncommon), they might shortlist you on basis of your resume. CPI is one thing that shows up on it. There are many things that you can highlight in your resume. Especially projects, internships and research. Resumes can vary in how they look and are made, but the basic thing about making a resume is to make sure that the person looking at it gets to see what is awesome about you. So highlight those points, make them visible by bullet-ing or underlining. And keep links to your projects, if possible. What you can do for the interview NEVER EVER forget to take your common-sense and logic with you when you enter the interview room. Keep Calm: I wish i could stress this point a couple of more times. Be Prepared: You cannot revise everything you learn in last 4-5 Semesters in 2 days. So keep in touch with what you already know. Dont be dissapointed if you get something wrong: You are an undergrad, you are human, the interviewer knows it. S/he wont be expecting an Einstein of computer science to take the interviews. So never be disappointed. Keep your Luck: I don't generally believe in luck. But try not to get into a fight with your girlfriend/boyfriend a day before the interview :D xD All the best. Cheers! :)